Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley ~ Keeping Sane with Books

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Writing is the only creative component of the three and the one that I find easiest and most natural; marketing is extremely time-consuming and not my favourite activity – it is also challenging to find an effective marketing strategy; self-publishing is not a terribly difficult endeavor, but securing a traditional publishing deal certainly trumps the others as being the hardest to achieve.

What marketing works for you?

I have a website www.eternaluk.com which features information on my book and myself, a photo gallery, trailers, a blog, a newsletter, sample chapter downloads, a media kit, and links to retailers selling Eternal. I also use Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Pinterest and have had a newspaper interview which I hope will garner me much more publicity and exposure for my book. Additionally, I have a listing on http://findagoodbooktoread.com/fiction-book-list.php, author interviews, guest blogs and hopefully a forthcoming professional book review. Another author gave me a great piece of advice: your family and friends are your greatest asset. Friends and family provide a great network of support and offer great scope for future sales as they vociferous in helping to promote your book through writing informative reviews and spreading the words to their friends, who in turn will hopefully tell other friends and so on.

Do you find it hard to share your work?

No, not at all, though I was a little uncomfortable at first with my parents reading the love scenes in Eternal.

Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you?

My family is amazing! My father very kindly took on the job of content editing my manuscript, my mother is my business manager, my son provided lots of ideas, and my husband helps manage my social media and keep my spirits up. Other family and friends have written me wonderful reviews for Eternal – something I am very grateful for.

Do you plan to publish more books?

Yes. Eternal is part of a trilogy and I am currently working on book two - the books following Eternal will continue to chronicle Vala and Elvar’s journey which will culminate in an unexpected and exciting conclusion that has global repercussions in both the human and fae worlds. After that, I plan to write a spin-off novel and possibly a paranormal horror.

What else do you do to make money, other than write? It is rare today for writers to be full time…

My writing is a full-time career choice for me, and as I have a young son to raise, does not leave any time for much else!

What other jobs have you had in your life?

I have worked as a storyboard artist, an animation beta tester, a self-employed illustrator, an after-school club assistant, a teaching assistant and a dating agency consultant!

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

I originally studied animation at university, but if I could choose over, I would opt for Creative Writing or English Literature.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

I would have homes in Southwold (UK Suffolk coast), Venice, Manhattan, Banff (Canada), somewhere near the Grand Canyon, and Perth (Australia).

Tell us about your family?

As mentioned in the first question, I live with my husband and brilliant young son, with my parents just a stone’s throw away. I have a large extended family in both London and dotted around Australia, and my father-in-law resides in Poole, Dorset (UK).

About the Author

Denise Dowdell-Stent is a YA Fantasy Fiction author but also writes scripts, poetry (published in various anthologies such as 'A Passage in Time' and 'Speaking of Love' by Forward Poetry), song lyrics, and maintains a blog at http://www.eternaluk.com.

She has just released her debut novel, Eternal as an ebook on Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo and Google Books (retail links on website). She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK with her husband and young son. Eternal is a YA Arthurian themed Fantasy, chock full of adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue.

Website: http://www.eternaluk.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eternaltrilogy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valaoakley

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIOmPViSbI

Amazon (USA): http://amzn.to/1ecaVA8

Amazon (UK): http://amzn.to/1fU46yX